Runnin’ A’s

Cool story about the A’s DH situation by our own Joe Stiglich this morning. Too bad Mike Sweeney, Frank Thomas and Jack Cust aren’t that fast; otherwise, the A’s could use them as designated runners.

I mean, am I the only guy who doesn’t recognize what I’m seeing with this team? Look under “SB’s” in Sunday’s box score, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. The A’s ran their way to three runs in the series finale in Texas, and on one particularl double-steal _ Bobby Crosby came home when Mark Ellis took off early for second _ I thought I was watching Billy-Ball again.

Not sure if this is a new Moneyball-type exploitation of the market, but I love watching it. The A’s are playing with an energy and excitement on offense that’s been missing for years. Speed has created some life, and it’s become as much a part of this team’s personality as anything.

Don’t get me wrong. They’ll have to start hitting home runs eventually. But it is nice to see that they don’t need the three-run home run to pump life into the offense.

Meantime, it’s on to Cleveland, where the early-season breaks continue to go the A’s way. They won’t face Cliff Lee or Fausto Carmona.